Play as LAPD detective Cole Phelps as he takes on a series of grisly and disturbing cases inspired by real world crimes that took place in post-war Los Angeles.

Analyse suspects for telltale signs of lying with unparalleled accuracy thanks to MotionScan motion capture technology, and truly experience how it felt to be a cop during the most corrupt period in LA's history.

Use a wide range of techniques to successfully solve cases, such as tailing suspects, questioning witnesses, searching for clues and engaging in hand-to-hand and armed combat.

Mean streets

The year is 1947, the setting Los Angeles, California. The City of Angels is deep in the midst of an economic boom and the world is becoming more and more obsessed with the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Golden Age.

While the stars revel in champagne lifestyles and the public looks on, deeply scarred troops return home from the Second World War, struggling to become a part of society once more. This means that away from the spotlight and flashing cameras, Hollywood is quickly becoming a haven for corruption, deceit and macabre murders.

This is where you come into play as Cole Phelps, a decorated World War II veteran who must rise through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department, investigating a series of cases inspired by real-world crimes that occurred in Los Angeles during the late forties. Welcome to the world of L.A. Noire on PlayStation 3.

It’s all in the details

L.A. Noire on PlayStation 3 features a huge open world, filled with a wealth of different characters for you to meet and speak to over the course of the dark and twisting storyline. The city is an exact replica of Los Angeles in the forties and features 23 assigned cases for you to solve.

There are a number of additional cases that you can undertake at certain points in the game, which in turn build on the background of certain characters in the story. Once you embark on one of these, the main storyline is put on hold until you solve the case in hand.

L.A. Noire features a revolutionary piece of technology called MotionScan that allows for every single facet of an actor's performance, including their facial expressions, to be put into game. See if you can tell whether or not a suspect is lying by studying their body language and the expression on their face while you interrogate them.

PlayStation 3 fans are in for a special Rockstar Games treat thanks to the exclusive addition of the Consul's Car Traffic Case. It's an entirely new crime for you to solve that is only playable on PS3.

Look closer

In L.A. Noire on PlayStation 3, your goal is to work your way through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. Your first job is as a patrolman, before moving onto traffic cop, homicide, vice and, finally, arson investigator.

Rather than progressing through a series of missions, you are presented with a number of cases at each of the desks you are promoted to. Once you have solved all the cases at a desk, you can move onto the next one. Each job you take on includes a new partner who will help you in your investigations and arrests.

Your partner will also be on hand during some of the game's more dangerous events such as a shoot-out, car chase or fist fight with suspects who attempt to resist arrest and turn violent. They will also assist you in subtle ways if you find yourself stuck at any point by suggesting how to figure out certain clues you may have picked up at each of the crime scenes you encounter.

Social sleuth

L.A. Noire allows you to stay up to date on what other PS3 players are doing in the world of Cole Phelps through the in-game Rockstar Games Social Club.

By joining up, you can download the Chicago Lightning Detective Suit, which provides additional accuracy when Cole is firing either a shotgun or machine gun.

Through the Rockstar Games Social Club, which is accessible via PlayStation Network, you can track your friends' L.A. Noire statistics and you can ask the PlayStation community for help at any point in a case.